Categories:Current Affairs
Posted by John Micek at 02:18:17 PM on May 18, 2009

Republican U.S. Senate Candidate ...

... Pat Toomey today refused to
say whether water-boarding terrorism suspects constituted torture, and believes
calls to prosecute Bush administration lawyers who fomented the policy – and those
who employed it during interrogations --
amounts to a witch hunt that would undermine national security..

During a speech to the Pennsylvania Press Club, Toomey
encouraged the release of documents detailing the information gleaned from “terrorist
masterminds” through water-boarding, saying it would shed light on its
effectiveness as a tactic.

“My understanding is that [waterboarding] revealed some
very, very important information that saved a lot of American lives,” Toomey
said.

Prosecuting those who used water-boarding on terror suspects
would undermine American security and will have “a profoundly chilling effect
on our ability to get the best possible advice from people serving in our
government in the future,” Toomey argued.

“I do not think it is constructive for us to go and start to
prosecute the men and women who served in good faith to this government and
gave their best legal judgment to the president about these things.”

Asked twice more on whether he believed the water-boarding,
an interrogation technique that simulates drowning, constituted torture, Toomey
refused to answer.

“I haven’t had a chance to come to a conclusion other than
what I have said,” he replied.